Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Glenn A Thompson

Luis Felipe Cabrera

Kartik Nadipuram Raghavan

Wesley Allan Witt

A system recovery method and framework for backing up and restoring a system that cannot reboot. The framework defines a common process, environment, and syntax, whereby backup programs integrate with this framework by collecting and writing appropriate information to be used during system recovery in the proper format. The format is a System Information File, a text file that specifies the hard disk state of the system and the location of key partitions where key components of the operating system are located. The file also includes instructions for specifying programs to launch during the restore phase, and any commands that need to be run in error handling cases. The file also includes or references any additional drivers or files to copy to assist in the restore process. A framework for restoring is also provided, and includes reading the file to restore the disk partition state, creating a common environment, and configuring (initializing) the common environment. When the environment is configured, the programs specified in the file are run to restore the remainder of the system.

Extensible system recovery architecture

A method and system for backing up and restoring a system that cannot reboot in an automatic and efficient manner. A backup component copies and stores the state that defines the configuration of the computer system by obtaining and preserving the underlying description of the system. The backed-up state information includes the disk structure and layout. Also backed up is the information specifying what to execute during restore phases, including programs to copy and execute, any error handling, and any special driver files to load. A restore component operates in a first phase to use the backed-up configuration information to compare with the current state of a new system, and the disk and volume state are restored according to the saved information. Once the underlying system state is restored, an environment is created by copying a set of files required to run the programs that will restore the remainder of the data. A second restore phase configures the environment for launching a restore program by detecting and installing drivers and support for devices installed on the system. The restore program or programs are then run according to the instructions that were saved therewith during the backup phase, to restore the remainder of the data.

Automated system recovery via backup and restoration of system state

A method and system for recovering from a system failure wherein the failed system is restored to a new system that has different hardware. Hardware state is preserved during a backup process, and following a failure, a restore is performed to the extent possible using that hardware state but on a system having a different hardware configuration. Rules are provided for handling the differences through selective merging, arranging, and replacement of data, with the logic and work performed transparently to the user. Hardware state includes hard disk configuration information, the location (partition) of the operating system, devices installed on the system and any additional drivers to load. When restored, for hardware that is identical, the hardware state is restored as specified in the file. If the hardware state is not identical, then a set of rules are used to restore the hardware state. Via these rules, hard disks may be restored to differently sized or a different number of hard disks, disk mirror pairs may be handled appropriately, and so on. Critical devices that are required to restore the system are merged as necessary during the restore process, while new or different non-critical devices are preserved during the restore process for future use. Updated drivers may be used.

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Glenn A Thompson